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Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup)
| team1score = 1 | team2 = South Korea | team2association = | team2score = 0 | details = FIFA Report BBC Report | date = 16 June 2018 | stadium = Nizhny Novgorod Stadium | city = Nizhny Novgorod | man_of_the_match1a = Andreas Granqvist (Sweden) | referee = Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) | attendance = 42,300 | weather = 25 °C (77 °F) | previous = | next = }} Sweden v South Korea was a match which took place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday 18 June 2018. Preview and teams's preparation Sweden and South Korea meet in a World Cup for the first time on Monday when they begin their campaigns in Russia. The Europeans have a fully fit squad to choose from but have only scored one goal in four games and none in their past three matches. South Korea will be captained by former Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, while Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is one of their main players. World champions Germany and Mexico are the other two teams in Group F. This match will take place in Nizhny Novgorod and there are reports that less than 2,000 fans have travelled from South Korea to Russia, while more than 30,000 Swedish fans have travelled to the tournament. Sweden are back at a World Cup finals for the first time since 2006 after beating Italy 1-0 on aggregate in their two-legged play-off. Their World Cup squad includes six British-based players - Swansea goalkeeper c, Manchester United centre-half Victor Lindelof, Celtic defender Mikael Lustig, Leeds centre-half Pontus Jansson, Swansea left-back Martin Olsson and Hull midfielder Sebastian Larsson. However, ex-Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not in the squad, sticking to his decision to retire from international football following Euro 2016. South Korea will be playing in their ninth successive World Cup finals and will be hoping to do better than four years ago when they finished bottom of their group with only one point (a 1-1 draw against Russia) from their three matches. They only won four of 10 qualifying games in the third round of Asian qualification and needed a 0-0 draw away in Uzbekistan in their final match to secure their place in Russia. Not in the best of form, they have only won one of their last six matches, including a 2-1 loss to Northern Ireland in March. Head to head Sweden are unbeaten in their four previous head-to-heads against South Korea (won two, drew two). It is their first encounter at a World Cup finals. Sweden's joint-biggest win was a 12-0 victory against South Korea in the 1948 Olympic Games. Match Sweden marked their first appearance in the World Cup for 12 years by beating South Korea thanks to a penalty from captain Andreas Granqvist that was awarded after a video assistant referee (VAR) review. There was a short delay for Kim Min-woo's foul on Viktor Claesson to be analysed on video and for the referee to point to the spot but it did not affect Granqvist, who sent goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo the wrong way. Sweden, who join Mexico at the top of Group F on three points, created the better chances in Nizhny Novgorod. Marcus Berg should have scored midway through the first half but his close range shot was beaten away by Cho, while South Korea did not manage a single shot on target. In a scrappy game, Cho also saved well from Ola Toivonen's header following a free-kick. South Korea, competing in their ninth successive World Cup, were disappointing and the closest they came to scoring was when Hwang Hee-chan headed wastefully wide in the closing moments. The result means Mexico, 1-0 winners over world champions Germany on Sunday, and Sweden have a three-point lead after the first round of matches in Group F. Sweden qualified by finishing above the Netherlands in qualifying, beating France in a group game and then overcoming Italy in a play-off. However, they arrived in Russia without a goal in their previous three matches and without Zlatan Ibrahimovic following his retirement from international football. Indeed, Janne Andersson's team looked to be heading for a goalless draw until the second-half penalty - the seventh to be awarded at the tournament. There was little doubt about the spot kick as replayed showed Claesson, who plays his club football in Russia, was clearly caught. Granqvist, 33, kept his nerve to become the oldest player to score on his World Cup debut since Martin Palermo, who was 36, for Argentina in 2010. In doing so it means 19% of the 26 goals so far at this World Cup have been scored from the spot. It was however a gritty rather than spectacular performance from the Swedes, who lost Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof on the morning of the game due to illness. His place was taken by Pontus Jansson but in truth the Leeds United player had little to do against lacklustre opponents. Jansson wasted a chance to make a big impression at the other end of the pitch when he rose unmarked at a corner but headed straight at the keeper. With world champions Germany - smarting from their opening-game defeat - up next, this was a vital win for Sweden. Details |score = 1–0 |report = Report (FIFA) Report (BBC) |team2 = |goals1 = Grandqvist |goals2 = |stadium = Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance = 42,300 |referee = Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} Group F Table |w=1 |d=0 |l=0 |gf=1 |ga=0 |bc=lightgreen}} |w=1 |d=0 |l=0 |gf=1 |ga=0|bc=lightgreen}} |w=0 |d=0 |l=1 |gf=0 |ga=1}} |w=0 |d=0 |l=1 |gf=0 |ga=1}} |} Match Stats= {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- !width=130|Overall !width=70|Sweden !width=70|South Korea |- !scope=row|Goals scored |1||0 |- !scope=row|Total shots |15||5 |- !scope=row|Shots on target |4||0 |- !scope=row|Ball possession |56%||44% |- !scope=row|Corner kicks |6||5 |- !scope=row|Fouls committed |20||23 |-| Images= Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).1.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).2.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).3.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).4.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).5.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).6.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).7.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).8.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).9.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).10.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).11.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).12.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).13.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).14.jpg Sweden v South Korea (2018 World Cup).15.jpg See also *2018 FIFA World Cup :*2018 FIFA World Cup Group F External links *Match report at BBC.co.uk *Match report at FIFA.com Category:2018 FIFA World Cup Matches